The Constantly Winning Opponent
by Fae 206
Summary: Kei Takishima has easily ranked first his whole life, however when he finds himself with a terminal illness and has to go through hospital treatments, his rank drops dramatically. Can Hikari help him conceal this weakness and get him back to the number one spot and will they realize winning doesn't mean always being first. Hikari/Kei
1. Chapter 1 - Kei Takishima Ranked Sixth

**The Constantly Winning Opponent**

 **Chapter One – Kei Takishima Ranked Sixth**

Hikari stared perplexed at the board in front of the school. She blinked as she raised her finger up and drew a line between the numbers, this didn't make any sense. She tried to steady herself and closed her eyes, maybe if she calmed down and thought about this rationally it would make more sense. She looked at the test scores and her eyes caught onto the first two names:

Top Ranked – Hanazono, Hikari. Second Ranked – Tsuji, Ryuu

Hikari looked around, was there some super huge elevated platform somewhere with Takishima's name on it? She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Still, she was impressed by Ruu, usually he would be too busy monitoring Jun and Megumi to concentrate on his own test. She looked down the list, they were in the three and four position followed by Tadashi and then….Hikari froze. Why was Takishima ranked as number six.

This didn't make any sense at all. Had her boyfriend suddenly quit being number one? No. He was far too much of a hard worker for that. Had he just quit the school but half of his test results were there? He would have told her, right? After the incident at the gravesite, his grandfather had decided not to interfere in their relationship and he wanted to make Kei happy. Then what was she looking at!?

Hikari looked aside to see the blond looking exhausted, he didn't react like he usually did. He had had a fever before and been able to work through it but this looked worse than the other times. His hair was dampened by sweat and he seemed to stumble on his feet a bit.

"Takishima?" Hikari asked as she took a step over to him.

"What…place?" he asked as he put his hand flat against the listing and Hikari saw him bend in half as if his chest was hurting him. No, he was usually like a superhero. He could usually run as fast as a car and still have energy to spare. What was going on?

"Sixth," Hikari said as she pointed and Kei started laughing softly.

"I'll do better next time….she won't be able to win against me next time then….I can…apologize to her," he said, still seeming out of breath and Hikari grabbed him, pressing him up against the wall and putting her hand on his forehead.

"Have you been overdoing it, Takishima?" she asked as she felt him burning up. "You really have to go to the nurse, come on, we'll go and maybe they'll have some medicine that will make you…"

"I can't go to the nurse, she'll know," Kei protested as he managed to tear himself away from Hikari's hold on him. "It's just some stupid test it doesn't….it doesn't mean anything. I don't want her to find out."

"Who is her?" Hikari asked, looking frustrated but trying to come up with a plan to force Kei to take some medicine and rest.

"Hikari," Kei replied and Hikari tilted her head to the side, very confused by what was happening in front of her. Didn't he see her? Why was he looking so sickly? Really, his sickliness could rival the ex-student president's. He looked so unlike himself.

"Well guess what," Hikari said as she stood with her arms crossed, "Hikari knows everything," she said and then pushed Kei gently against the wall again. "What is going on with you?" she asked before she put a hand to his cheek and saw him flinch away. She felt a few of his hairs fall onto her hand. "Takishima?" she asked as he finally looked at her.

He looked away, trying to gain his composure. "I…I have to…"

"Please tell me what's going on, you know it's harder when we hide things from each other," Hikari told him and Kei's eyes and expression softened. He took her by the hand and led her to a secluded area. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked him and Kei sighed, he sat down on a bench and stared at her.

"I've been keeping something…hidden," he said before looking straight ahead very guiltily. He knew how bad it was when he kept these things from her and fortunately he had blamed it on work, blamed it on other things that she would understand more than this. "Hikari…I can tell you _why_ I performed so badly on that test but I don't know if it matters to you, number one."

Hikari sighed, she pressed two fingers to her forehead, "Why don't you just tell me and we'll settle who gets to be called number one afterwards. If there's something going on with you that means that I didn't beat you fairly then I can't take that number one title," she told him and Kei looked up at her.

"I shouldn't have even been at school that day," he told her, "and I shouldn't have gone to that board meeting afterwards," he shivered. "Hikari, that test happened after I had gone to the doctor that morning even though they told me I should give myself a day of rest and they'd contact the -"

"So you went to the hospital and disobeyed hospital orders?" Hikari asked as she tried to comprehend what she was being told.

Kei looked ahead of him, "You know how my grandmother had a bad illness and she died?" he asked and Hikari nodded, "I don't think it's the same thing," he said as he looked forwards, "And don't tell any of the others, okay?" he asked as Hikari felt her heart beat pounding in her chest.

What was he talking about?

"The reason I screwed up on the test," he told her, "is because I took it after I had had a chemotherapy treatment, my first one…" he said and Hikari froze, her eyes getting wider by what he was saying. He looked down and she could see how his hair didn't have that natural shine it once did. Had he had more than one session?

"Takishima, what is it? What's wrong with you?" Hikari asked as she felt the ground shift from under her. "What's…."

"I'm sick…okay," he said painfully and Hikari sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him in a side hug. "My body…there's some genetic code in my body which isn't working right and I don't know how to fix it. I'm trying. I've run my own tests, done diagnostics, read up on it, but I'm sick and I can't find the cure."

Hikari opened her mouth to speak but sighed, she nodded her head. "I understand," she said as she hated seeing him like this, so weak and fragile. "Let's work on this together as a team," she said with a motivated smile on her face. She saw the way he looked at her, his face showing his shame at not being his usual self. "I'll help you."

"Don't work yourself too hard, number one," he smiled to her and even though Hikari could definitely see the change she still loved him. Being number one didn't matter right now, Kei Takishima's beating heart was so much more important than that.


	2. Chapter 2 - Results

**AN:** Hope you enjoy, I know this is a somewhat shorter chapter than I originally planned

 **Chapter Two – Results**

Hikari kept her posture as she sat on the couch in the greenhouse. She really was feeling awkward about being here, already the news had spread that she had crushed Takishima and she was being given a lot of congratulations cards and gifts. She felt nervous, her heart squeezing in her chest. This wasn't right. The only reason that Takishima had done so badly was because he was deathly ill, these weren't the circumstances that she wanted to win against him in.

Hikari kept looking across at a table near the window. He was sitting by himself whilst using the computer again and Hikari kept wanting to join him. She wondered if her joining him would make him feel worse. She had stolen the top spot from him and it hadn't been a fair fight.

"I'm more impressed by Ryuu," Tadashi commented as he ate the cake, "I mean, we all knew that Kei was going to slip up sometime but I'm impressed that even I was able to beat him."

'Ryuu really is the best' Megumi wrote down on her board and Jun smiled up at his friend.

"So, what did you do, study with Finn?" he asked and Ryuu looked down. He didn't want to admit to the fact that he had always been seventh because he was monitoring the twins and making sure that they remained in the SA class. When they had started to gain confidence both of them had been more attentive to their studies.

Apparently Yahiro had made some kind of comment about how pretty girls are usually stupid to Megumi, it was meant as a tease but she had done her best to prove to him that pretty girls are often smart. As for Jun, Sakura kept talking about how she wanted to introduce him to her grandparents and he had tried to overcompensate for his "weird condition". That had given Ryuu the freedom to excel in the test.

"You know, uh…less distractions," Ryuu laughed uncomfortably and Hikari stared down.

"Well, we all knew you were smart but I didn't know that I'm smarter than Kei," Tadashi said and Hikari frowned, glancing back at her boyfriend whose body had gone rigid. Of course he was embarrassed by his score, if she was in his situation she would have been upset to have dropped lower. Her win had been unfair and she wanted to give it back to him.

"Guess the only person that Kei's smarter than is Akira," Tadashi commented which caused for Akira to throw a tray at him.

Hikari bit her bottom lip and bowed her head, "Takishima is smarter than anyone in here, he works harder and he has more branching knowledge than even I do. As much as I would want to win against Takishima, it wasn't a fair fight."

"You don't need to be scared of the fact that now _everyone_ knows you're better than Kei," Akira said as she threw her arms around her friend. "Let's celebrate your victory tonight, I'll take you shopping and we can have tea and Megumi can come along too if she wants."

'No, thank you. I have plans,' Megumi said and Akira looked at her before holding onto Hikari tighter.

"You won't abandon me, will you?" Akira asked and Hikari saw Kei get up undetected and close his computer, slipping it into his bag. Hikari took a deep breath in as she saw him push a hand through his hair and sigh. Hikari smiled to Akira before getting up.

"I'm sorry, I have plans as well," she said before pushing herself up and walked over to Kei, "Hey," she said as Akira's jaw dropped at how forcefully Hikari had pushed her away to approach Kei. She should be celebrating her success at getting better than her but even Akira had to admit that there was something extremely strange about Kei being ranked as sixth especially with his photographic memory.

Hikari waited beside Kei, "Are you sure you want to be here?" he asked him as she saw him shiver and cough slightly, his eyes watering. "I think maybe if you just went home then you could rest," she said and Kei looked at her painfully.

"I'm fine," he said before walking towards the door, "I'm going to be okay."

"When's your next appointment?" Hikari asked gently. She managed to keep her voice down so that none of the other SA members could hear her. Hikari really thought that Kei should be sharing this information with their friends because then they could all help him by working together but she could understand his hesitation."

"Three days," Kei said as he turned to see the rest of the group staring at him. "I'm going to go for a walk," he said and Hikari took a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" she asked and Kei looked at her with a smile, he reached out for her hand.

"I don't mind," he said and Akira stood up, walking towards them.

"So, what is it Kei? You'd prefer to steal Hikari's secrets and figure out how to beat her, Hikari beat you fair and square and you should be congratulating her instead of sulking. Do you even realize how hard Hikari has been working so that she could pass you and get that number one spot for herself. You act as if it was so eas—"

"Akira," Hikari said with a look at the ground before she made eye contact with her friend, "Please stop. It wasn't a fair contest between the two of us but I'm not supposed to tell you why. All I know is that there are things that you should respect and it wasn't a fair contest," Hikari looked down. Maybe it wouldn't make any difference concerning their ranks and maybe it would be useless to ask but she'd prefer to try and get that second place spot. "Maybe we could ask for a retest."

Kei looked at her, "That would mean that I'd have to tell the truth," he told her, "I'm fine. I might even try to graduate early," he told her and Hikari's eyes widened before she nodded.

"That would probably be best," she said before wrapping an arm around herself, "But I'd rather you stay here for as long as you can. It would be hard not to see you every day, not to know that you're okay. I want to go with you to the next session, would that be possible?" she asked and Akira looked between them.

"What on earth is going on between the two of you?" she inquired as she raised an eyebrow. Hikari bowed her head and held onto Kei's hand, she smiled sadly before looking away.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized as Kei turned to her, not sure what she was going to say or which of the two of them she was apologizing to. "I can't say. It's a private matter that Takishima can tell you about when he's ready," she looked down sadly but the sadness of the thought of losing her boyfriend was more painful than that of turning Akira down and not telling his secret.

"I can't tell you and I don't want to. It's not up to me to tell anyone," she said before leaving the greenhouse with Kei's hand in her own. Akira watched them stunned. Usually Hikari wasn't the type of girl who would choose a boy over her friends, she wasn't one of those lovey-dovey shoujo types so for her to pick Kei Taksihima in this way meant that something was definitely wrong.

"Do you think they might both be on their time of the month?" Tadashi asked and Akira looked around for something to hurl at him.

…..

…..

Satoru looked through the files from Kei's latest hospital visit. Kei had told them that he wanted to take care of it himself but the doctor had insisted on giving a copy of the information to Satoru to look through. That meant that if a time came when Kei couldn't take care of himself then his family would know what to do.

Satoru sat with the phone to his ear as he spoke to his father-in-law.

"How's Kei doing? How's his performance?" the chairman asked, his voice coated with his anxiety. "I think that maybe we should consider giving him mandatory time off from the company."

"I think that Kei needs motivation," Satoru said and the chairman frowned.

"How about we try grooming Sui, of course he doesn't have Kei's skillset but he is a Takishima. If Kei can't perform the job, if he doesn't live long enough to inherit the company then we need a heir. I want you to follow a strict training problem with your second son," he said and Satoru froze.

"Kei's not dead yet," he said before hanging up.

He paused, half-regretting what he had done. _Nobody_ hung up on the chairman.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter One**

Katnissxo, MiMiRin, pinmaker82


	3. Chapter 3 - Would it be Giving Up?

**AN:** Hope you guys enjoy, thanks for your patience.

 **Chapter Three – Would It Be Giving Up?**

Kei sighed as he looked through the school withdrawal forms. Of course he had already seen all of this paperwork before and committed it to memory – although unwillingly – but he had always fought against it. Maybe it was time to stop fighting. These days he wasn't sure how much of reality he could even handle and it didn't seem the best time to even question that. Kei sighed as he looked at the paperwork. To be close to Hikari, that was what had always fueled his motivation for staying at that school but was it too much.

"What are you looking at?" Hikari asked as she came up to him. She attempted to smile though the tears had already shown up in her eyes.

"I'm thinking of taking some time off of school," he told her with a sad smile and she froze. Hikari looked down nervously, she didn't want to voice her disappointment at not being able to see him in the greenhouse and she most definitely didn't want to hear that somebody else would be taking his spot in the SA. This was Kei Takishima, he had most definitely earned his place there. However, if the treatment was too overwhelming for him then maybe it might be best for some time off.

"Hikari," he said and Hikari blinked, she had been zoning out and she saw the concern in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I know that you wanted to stay at this school to beat me and even though you've done it…"

"It wasn't a fair battle," the black haired girl responded with tears in her eyes, "but I respect your decision if that's what you want to do. You were having a really off day when you took that test. I just want for you to be happy in your decisions."

Kei sighed, he looked over the forms again. Maybe after his next treatment he'd have a clearer view on what it was best to do. His grandmother had died from complications and apparently she was as smart as he was though she expressed it in different ways. Maybe it was always destiny that another family member would pass away from the same type of illness.

Hikari reached out and held his hand, "I'm not going to go and reunite with my family if they are offering me the chance to stay here," she said with a confident smile and Kei blinked at her. "I mean, even if I have completed my goal, I have a new goal now," she blushed before kissing his cheek. She just wanted him to feel better even if she had to lead the way this time. It was okay, it would be okay, wouldn't it?

"Maybe talking to the director would have the best results," Kei thought aloud and Hikari nodded. There was always a chance for temporary leave of absence, this was a medical emergency. Hikari nodded with a hum.

"I'll come with you, if that's okay?" she asked and Kei smiled in relief.

"Of course that's okay," he said as he turned to her. He held her hands in his and smiled in the way he always did when he gazed upon her. "Thank you for being beside me through this. I assure you that having you support this is making things much easier."

"Of course," Hikari laughed with a cute salute and Kei pulled her to his chest.

He didn't want to admit it but he was really scared about what might happen in the following weeks. He didn't want to leave behind anything unfinished and he never wanted to leave behind her. Hopefully this wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be.

…

…..

So, the school director had allowed for Kei to take a month off of school before he returned and she could see whether she agreed with his choice of whether to return or not without consequences. As disappointed as Hikari was that her best friend, her boyfriend, and her competitor was going to be leaving, she knew that she would be able to still interact with him and see him.

However, right now she had wanted some time alone and so had gone to a quiet park area where there was a small café. She had bought herself a small drink and was sitting and looking out at the lake. Maybe she could take Kei here…Takishima here…which was she supposed to say? Well, maybe she could take _him_ here after he had one of his therapy sessions.

Hikari was staring into space for so long that she hadn't noticed one of her friends staring at her.

"So," Sakura said as she watched Hikari curiously, "What's going on with you? Not studying or exercising today? Not going to go for the kill shot with Kei?"

Hikari paled as she heard those words and she shook her head, her body shaking. She looked down as the words echoed in her head, _kill shot, kill shot,_ "No," she said as her lip shook slightly, she felt the tears in her eyes. "No, never."

"That guy do something to you?" Sakura asked, "I can't stand a man who mistreats his girlfriend."

"Uh, no, no," Hikari said quickly as she tried to get the tears out of her eyes. She was making this whole situation much worse by not handling it well. She hadn't wanted to go home and be alone though so she had come out into the open despite feeling overwhelmed and in tremendous pain in her heart. "No, it's nothing like that. Everything is as good as it can be between Kei and I…"

"I heard you beat him anyway," Sakura grinned, "both from Akira and Jun. Maybe you just shook up his manhood."

"He's…he's going through some things, it wasn't a fair contest, I didn't beat him fairly," Hikari whispered as her eyes widened. She knew that she shouldn't spread his secret but it was okay to maybe let a small part of it out. Would Kei be angry at her if she did so? Or was she still supposed to call him Takishima since it wasn't a fair battle.

"Okay. I mean, I guess even people like him can lose their concentration at times," Sakura shrugged and Hikari paused. He was sick. He was so sick and maybe having his friends know would help him. They could all try to find a way for him to feel healthy together.

"He's pretty sick but I can't go into detail," Hikari said honestly and Sakura looked at her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she seemed to understand that it wasn't just a seasonal cold.

"Is it terminal?" she asked and Hikari looked in front of her, she noticed the way the water carried a reflection of the rest of the park. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She should have held onto this secret for herself and for Kei. This wasn't her news to give away and she had trouble thinking of the reasons as to why she had just done so.

"I can't tell you that," Hikari said softly and Sakura sighed.

"I think you just did," she replied to her and Hikari bowed her head. It was too painful, experiencing all of this was so incredibly painful. Sakura stood so she could wrap her arms around her friend.

"Don't worry though, that guy is a fighter, he'll be able to beat this, so don't get so upset, okay?" she asked and as Hikari looked at her she felt comforted by the smile on Sakura's face. Hikari tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and then froze as she saw another one of her friend's join her.

"Did Kei break up with you or do something stupid?" Akira asked, "I'm going to kill him. He's not going to be able to breathe after I've taken revenge on him."

"He has a terminal illness," Sakura stated as Akira's entire body went pale and Hikari quickly looked at her friends.

"I'm not supposed to have told anyone that," she said quickly before seeing Akira's mournful and horrified face. "Please pretend that you don't know, he had me swear to keep it a secret and I shouldn't have said anything. He's withdrawn from school until he feels better as well."

Akira looked down, "I need to stop giving him a hard time, at least until he's better."

"Thank you," Hikari whispered as she tried to wipe away her tears, "but I think that treating him like we normally do might be best for him right now. I don't want to make him think of his illness anymore than he needs to." She wiped tears away from her eyes once again. As much as she wanted everything to be okay, it didn't seem very likely, at least not anymore.

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Two**

Guest, MiMiRin

 **Response to Reviews:**

It is going to be quite angsty especially with the pain from his grandmother's death but Hikari really wants to do what is best for him both because she loves him and because she loves challenging him and competing beside him.


	4. Chapter 4 - Loved Ones

**AN: Thank you so much for your patience with this upload, I want to start making longer chapters as well.**

 **Chapter Four – Loved Ones**

He had always admired his big brother, that wasn't going to just change because Kei was ill and wasn't performing at his best. His brother had other problems to worry about. He didn't need to focus on work or school just on survival. Everything else could come second although Sui knew Hikari either had the chance to help his wonderful older brother or the chance to hurt him in an unforgiveable way. As Sui entered the house he saw that his father was sitting down and his brother walked over to him.

"I'm taking some time off from school," Kei told his dad and Satoru froze.

His son had left the school before and he might have been seen as too intelligent to be there but it had become a motivation for him. His son had had trouble in the past getting close to people because for all of his intellectual and physical abilities, he wasn't open enough with his emotions. Well, the exception was always Hikari and it had always been her. Now he was voluntarily stopping being around her.

"Are you sure?" Satoru asked, "I mean. I wish that you'd taken some time to consider the options," he said and Kei looked down, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I have considered my options, I want to concentrate on my health," he told his father and Satoru nodded, "Dad. I can beat this, trust me," he said before coughing again and Satoru placed his hand on Kei's shoulder. He really hoped that the same thing that happened to his beloved Midori's mother didn't happen to their son as well.

"I do trust that you'll give it everything you've got," he said before standing up and hugged Kei as Kei just twitched for a moment and then hugged his father back as well. "I know how strong you are and I know that you're really going to fight to push through this. How do you feel about your next therapy treatment?" he asked and Kei nodded.

"I can handle it. Do you think there's a way we could get permission for Hikari to come and visit me?" he asked and Satoru smiled.

"Papa thinks of everything," he said proudly, "I already included her name on your approved visitation list all she needs to be is bring her ID and they'll let her see you. I'm very proud of myself for doing that."

"Good," Kei whispered, "I'm grateful."

Sui walked into the room, taking a look at the two of them and Kei blinked at him whilst Satoru showed joy at having him home. He loved both his sons even if both of them were pretty different. His whole family was rather impressive. It was a good thing that Midori trusted him as more than a trophy husband but maybe that explained his colleagues want to domesticate him.

"Why does that stupid Hikari get to come see Big Brother?" he asked and Satoru blinked before Kei shook his head.

"It's not going to be an enjoyable experience," he said before thinking of the first set of treatments. He hated to have to go back through that but it was better than the alternative, facing death head on.

Sui shook his head, "It'll be enjoyable enough because I'll be able to talk to you, Big Brother," he said and Kei raised an eyebrow before humming.

"Not with all the puking," he said and Sui raised an eyebrow. Kei stared at him. That didn't deter his younger brother at all. How deep was this obsession with him and should he start to get worried about it? Kei put a hand on Sui's shoulder. "How about once I've recovered from this visit, we go do something just me and you?" he asked and Sui grinned excitedly.

Satoru smiled sadly as he watched his sons and then heard a noise from the kitchen and the back door. He didn't think that they were having a visitor and Midori wasn't scheduled back for another week. It did feel really sad that Midori wasn't here. Kei needed her.

He waited before seeing Kei walking towards the kitchen to see what the noise was. He blinked as he saw suitcases and his mother standing over the sink. The water was running but she was just standing there with her hands on the counter and as Kei came closer to her, he saw that she was trying to hide her tears.

"Mom?" he asked with a tilt of his head and Midori suddenly jumped back. She took in her son and then tried hard to swallow the tears. She didn't want him to think of her as weak or that he had to hide anything from her. "Welcome home," he said and she looked at him. She took a deep breath in before facing him, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Stand up straight, I need to look at you," she said with a determined tone in her voice and Kei nodded as Midori closely examined him. She patted him down before pulling him towards her chest. "Oh my gosh, you're still here. Kei, I am so so sorry," she apologized causing Kei to blink partly in confusion and partly knowing she was thinking about her mother. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that you'd be…this is my fault…"

"How could it be your fault?" Kei asked as he tried to smile. He was starting to feel a lack of energy and he stumbled slightly. Midori however took notice of this and she grabbed her son, forcing him to sit down in a chair. "I'm okay," he lied to her and Midori saw her husband and younger son coming in. She immediately went to give Sui a hug although he was staring at Kei who had gone extremely white.

It was a little disorienting as if he had a fever. He couldn't make sense of what was going on around him. It was just noise and a blur. He coughed feeling as if his chest was burning and then he felt himself lose a grip of the world around him and the next thing he heard were noises that sounded like voices but he couldn't make out the words and then white.

….

….

Hikari stood in her kitchen looking over the selection of food she had bought from the grocery store. They were mainly snacks and ready to eat food like riceballs, she didn't trust herself in the kitchen since her mother had warned her not to blow it up when their father couldn't fix it. The only times she had used the kitchen were when Akira and Kei had come over and both of them had cooking skills that were far superior to hers. This time though, Hikari had the phone pressed to her ear and she was trying to figure out the information she had just been told.

Kei had come home from school and he had collapsed. They had taken him to the hospital and they were scared that he might have dehydrated because he didn't drink the necessary amount of fluid for what his body needed in its current state. He was stabilized but Satoru had felt that Hikari needed to know.

So, his condition was getting worse. Hikari didn't want to think of how her life would be without him. He was her boyfriend, the first boy that she had ever loved and she wanted for him to be the last. She didn't want to end their contests or competitions and she didn't want to stop hearing his sarcasm, him mocking her. She bowed her head and the tears slipped out.

"May I visit him?" she asked and Satoru's voice was strong and smooth.

"Please do," he said, "I think that he would want to see you. You always manage to motivate him, Hikari-chan, you're a good girl and I hope that you know we consider you a member of our family," he told her and Hikari laughed. She still didn't see that as a joke that she and Kei should get married, they would call it her innocent ignorance or something like that.

"I consider you a member of my family and my dad does as well," Hikari told him before closing her eyes. "I'm going to come and see him. Please tell him that I'm on my way," she said and after Satoru promised that he would, Hikari dialed her own father.

Hikari sighed, she had reached his voice mail. She closed her eyes and then breathed slowly.

"Dad, I hope you're doing okay since we spoke last night. Takishima is really sick and I'm going to try to help out. I'm really scared. I don't need you to come back or anything but does Mom know any good ways that I can help him," she said before pausing and the voice mail ended. Was it okay to tell him that? How was her father going to respond to this?

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Three**

Katnissxo, YokaiAngel

 **AN:** I have also continued my The Love of My Life (Rewrite) fic if you guys are interested in reading more SA.


	5. Chapter 5 - Family

**Chapter Five - Family**

Jiro froze as he listened to the voice mail. He knew that both his children had a way of being both straightforward and vague on the phone, in fact they were so blunt and honest that pieces of information were left out. Maybe that was his influence. He paused. Takishima's son rarely got sick in fact, Jiro had been told by Satoru that Kei was more or less perfect and Satoru was looking for some weakness where he got to help his kid. The way Hikari was talking though seemed like it was more than just a cold.

He turned to his wife before sighing. She looked at him confused, "What is it?" Masako asked, "What has that girl gotten herself into this time?"

"It would appear that _Hikari_ is fine," Jiro told her and Masako nodded however the way that Jiro took a shaky breath in alerted her. There was something wrong. For him to be acting in this manner there was something wrong. "Her boyfriend, the Takishima boy is ill but she didn't tell me the extent of it."

"A cold?" Masako asked, "Kei-kun has a cold?" she asked before laughing. "That girl is hopeless sometimes," she sighed, "Calling to report a cold."

"That's the thing," Jiro told her, "the way Hikari was speaking makes it sound that it isn't just a cold. I'm going to call Satoru and see if I can find out some more information." Masako looked at him. She knew that although Kei and Hikari were going out and had a strong bond it had started because of a friendship between the two men. If the Takishima family needed their support, they were going to be there for them.

Jiro walked into another room with the phone and was surprised when it was picked up quickly. Usually there would be some kind of business meeting going on, nothing that involved these beeps and noises. Was this a hospital? Was the cold that bad?

"Hello, Takishima Satoru," the man said and Jiro could hear how exhausted his friend was.

"Hey, it's Jiro," the carpenter said and he could hear Satoru sigh in exhaustion. "Am I distur-"

"Hikari told you?" he asked before looking to the door, "I can't help but to admit that I'm terrified for him. She told you about the treatment?"

"She didn't tell me much honestly, just that he had some kind of sickness," Jiro replied. "I don't mean to pr-" he began but Satoru cut him off.

"It's a cancer that's developing in his body," Satoru explained as Jiro felt his whole body stiffen, he had expected something a little worse than a cold but nothing of _this_ nature. Jiro sat down trying to process the information. The Takishima family must be devastated, if anything had happened to either of his children with this illness then he wouldn't be able to cope with it.

The conversation lasted about ten minutes more and then Jiro put the phone down, promising to help in any way that the family might need. He went back to see Masako who turned to him with an eyebrow raised. "So," she asked and Jiro froze.

"Kei Takishima has some kind of cancer, apparently one that also killed his grandmother years ago. That's why Hikari sounded so flustered. I tried to remind Satoru that medicine has improved since the death of the grandmother but to hear that your own child has cancer," he said and Atsushi stared at him wide-eyed.

"You're not talking about Hikari, right?" he asked having only come in at the very end of that speech and Jiro shook his head. Masako turned to her son.

"You're not busy this weekend, are you?" she asked knowing that her son had the weekend off from both work and college. "I want for you to go and see Hikari, she needs comforting," she told him and Atsushi blinked at her.

"Does Kei Takishima have cancer?" he asked and was shocked when both of his parents nodded.

…..

…..

Kei looked at Hikari with a smile, he had been hooked up to tubes and machines all day with various drugs being pushed into his system. It was really good to look up and see the face of the girl that he had loved for such a long time. He saw the filled notebooks and school books that she had beside her. He only hoped that one day she would beat him on equal footing.

He wondered whether to tell her that he wanted her to go home, take care of herself, but she had sacrificed going to class to be with him. He had collapsed briefly and he had seen the terror on his family members faces. He didn't want to cause any more hurt or any more harm.

"Hikari?" he asked as he saw her eyes fluttering, "You don't ha-"

"What hurts?" Hikari asked as she sprung up and Kei looked at her before smiling weakly. "Is it your body? Do you need any ice chips or maybe there's something else that I can do? What kind of medicine do they have you on? Do you nee-"

Kei stared at her. He knew that she just wanted to help and he didn't want to risk her acting on her own and doing something rash. He paused before deciding to give her a simple task. "My top pillow is a little flat," he told her and Hikari nodded.

"Can you sit up a moment?" she asked and Kei nodded, getting his body to rest against the wall. He smiled a little as Hikari picked up the pillow but as she pounded it in an attempt to get it to soften, the inserts broke and fell onto the floor and Kei stared at the remains of his pillow. It had been flat but it had given his head some comfort. He couldn't get mad at her though. He had never been able to get mad at her.

"I'm sorry," HIkari said weakly, "I'll get you a new one. I'll make sur-"

"What did you do?" Sui asked as he rounded the corner with Midori who was looking at the mess and then her son and then the mess. "You idiot girl, you're trying to hurt my big brother by destroying his pillow. Why did you do that?" he asked and Kei gave him a meaningful look.

"She's only trying to help," he told his younger brother in a firm manner and this caused Midori to step forwards excitedly.

"Help?" she asked with a weak smile. "Mama can help," she said and then felt slightly weird, it was usually Satoru who said things like that. "Let me help," she told Kei. "What do you need? Tell me, you barely let me…"

"Can you get me two new pillows?" he asked her and Midori nodded. Kei saw her grin and knew that she wouldn't simply be asking the nurse for them. She pulled out her credit card and her phone and turned to the door. Sui stared at the mess again.

"Why would you do that to his pillow?" he asked and Hikari looked down awkwardly.

"I was trying to fluff them up," she commented and Sui sighed before sitting down next to Kei. Hikari knew how difficult this was for Kei's entire family. All the Takishimas must be devastated about this happening even Kei's grandfather. She knew the story of how Kei's grandmother had died and she knew how hard it must be for Midori to be in the same position with her son as she had been with her mother.

"I'll be right back," she promised before walking out to see Midori down the hallway, she quickened her pace so that she was walking beside her. "I'm sorry," she apologized and Midori shook her head telling her that the situation with the pillow was okay but it was more than that that HIkari felt she should be apologizing for. "Can I come with you?"

"You were attempting to help my son, I'm not holding you responsible for the pillows, these aren't pillows that are suitable for Kei anyway. My son needs silk pillow covers and the softest type of pillows to rest his head upon.

HIkari smiled weakly, "I meant about his condition," she said and Midori sighed.

"I am too," she said, "but I refuse to let him die and I usually can get what I really want." Hikari nodded, she was going to do her best as well. He shouldn't be allowed to just stop living.

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


	6. Chapter 6 - Take Care

**Chapter Six – Take Care**

Atsushi sighed as he stood outside the house in which he had grown up. It had been a while since he had come to this house and as he stepped forwards and put a hand atop the wooden door, he smiled. It had been a long time but even longer when it came to how he had changed and focused. Hikari would always be someone he would feel protective over but he didn't have to worry about her. She was protected by her friends but his sister might be as in tune as others with her emotions, Atsushi was the same way.

As he knocked on the door he heard a sound of something being hit from the back, he rolled his eyes and leaned his head back. She wasn't destroying something else, was she? He had wanted to talk or at least spend some time together where they weren't doing anything but being. She needed to take care of herself emotionally and psychologically as well as physically.

He caught her hitting a tree with a stick and stood still, putting his travel bag on the floor. He crossed his arms and watched. "You think the poor tree has had enough already?" he called out and Hikari froze. She turned to him and a smile came onto her face.

"You're back?" she asked and Atsushi smiled, he came over to her and hugged her. Hikari relaxed in his arms and so he brought her in closer, wanting to look after the girl that others always viewed as strong. Hikari was strong but she wasn't always mature about her emotions. Hopefully Atsushi could provide some kind of support.

"Just for a few days. I heard about…Takishima," he said slowly and Hikari blinked before looking away, she nodded sadly. "I won't tell anyone. I know that when it comes to people who are in advantageous social circles, you don't want to give away any privileged information."

"Ye-Yeah," Hikari said slowly, she rubbed her back. "It's nice to see you," she tried to laugh and Atsushi raised an eyebrow and hummed. He watched her but didn't know what to say. He didn't want to hurt his little sister but that was why he had come, to make sure that she wasn't hurting too badly.

"You're okay?" he asked and Hikari shook her head. Atsushi pulled back, that wasn't the reaction that he was used to.

"Not really," Hikari admitted and closed her eyes, "if it wasn't for the story about his grandmother then he would be okay. Taki-Kei would be okay."

Atsushi blinked, he wasn't sure what she was referring to but short of Kei Takishima's grandmother crossing an evil fantasy elf who put a curse on her first born grandson, Atsushi had the impression that it wasn't the old woman's fault. He watched her and Hikari rolled up her sleeves.

"Let's have a race," she challenged him and Atsushi nodded slowly, "I'll race you down town and…and there doesn't have to be a prize or anything, we can just race."

"Through town?" Atsushi asked and Hikari nodded, "People might be working. It might be better to go somewhere with more space," he said and Hikari smiled before trying to think where they could run. Atsushi frowned. His sister would often deal with her problems in this manner. She would get upset about something and instead of crying or talking about it like a regular girl would, she went racing and distracted herself with other things.

"How about we go to the park?" she asked and Atsushi frowned, he groaned a little and rubbed his back awkwardly.

"Isn't there something else that you want to talk about?" Atsushi asked. He had once been someone who had wanted to take care of things physically until the time came when he had done so in front of Hikari. Talking was easier and it was safer too. Hikari would talk to him were he going through this. "I need to see if you're okay. You love Takishima, right?"

Hikari nodded as her hands started shaking and she put them in the pockets of the pants that she had on. She closed her eyes. "It's too much to take in," she admitted. "I'd rather think about how to celebrate Kei for getting through this…I mean, Takishima for getting through this. Winning against him doesn't matter, the only thing that matters now is that he doesn't let it defeat him."

"You know that it's a possibility that he _will_ die, don't you?" Atsushi asked and he could see Hikari reaching for the stick that she had been practicing some foreign style of fighting with. Atsushi grabbed it and Hikari looked down with her eyes wide.

"I'm not ready to let him be defeated especially not by an illness," Hikari said as she bowed her head. She laughed softly. She didn't want to seem like an idiot but it was tough for her to take this all in. She just wanted for things to be okay and for everyone to go back to being happy.

"Want to do some research on his illness together?" Atsushi asked and Hikari smiled softly. She looked away. She had promised that he could do it but Takishima usually reacted well to any of the challenges that she put against him. Maybe this would motivate him and it would definitely help her feel better.

"Maybe later," she said, "There's somewhere that I want to go right now but I'll definitely come back." Hikari looked around and grabbed her coat and bag before rushing off before Atsushi could chase her. His sister was impossible but at least she seemed motivated and hopeful for the future. That was at least something to take comfort in.

…..

…

Kei looked up sleepily as he heard a loud bang and laughed as he saw that it was Hikari who had flung the door back and this would probably alert some nurses and a doctor or two possibly to find out what was going on. He sat up and looked at her, already feeling a little better. "Hey," he smiled, happy that she had come back to be with him.

"I have a challenge," Hikari told him and Kei paused, paling slightly. Who could blame him though? He was hospitalized and feeling weaker than ever and now his girlfriend whose energy could not be contained had come and broken the door and told him she had a challenge for the two of them. Kei chuckled softly and nodded.

"I want you to beat this illness" Hikari told him and Kei nodded slowly, it would be weird if she had felt otherwise. "I want you to defeat this illness just like you win at everything and then once you prove that you can't be defeated. I want for you to propose to me."

Kei looked at her confused, "You want me to propose?" he asked and put a hand to his forehead. It must be the drugs that were flowing through his body because he suddenly was feeling far more drained than he usually did. Hikari stared at him with a grin on her face. "What about if it's just in remission?"

"Are you giving up, Takishima?" Hiakri asked in hopes that she would motivate him and be able to get him to become more energetic and motivated. "I want to marry you but I need to make sure you're not going to give up. I want to be the one to truly defeat you and I'm not going to let this illness take you down."

"As if I'd give up," Kei grinned before coughing. He grabbed for a handkerchief and Hikari took his other hand.

"Good and…" she turned a bright red, "after you beat this illness, I'll be thrilled to become your wife. I just can't let you give in to anyone else, I need to keep challenging you until I win on equal footing," she said and Kei looked at her.

"Nothing would make me happier than becoming your husband," he told her and Hikari smiled happily. They could beat this and then they could get engaged. They were big steps but this illness told her one thing. What she wanted in her life most were more of these amazing memories with Kei Takishima.

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Replacement Takishima

**Chapter Seven – The Replacement Takishima**

Sui Takishima wasn't used to this kind of pressure. Yes, he was intelligent. Yes, he could probably excel in any sport which he invested energy in. Yes, he was good looking and could manipulate girls to his whim. He just wasn't Kei Takishima. Kei had that part of his brain that made him act like a robot. He had skills that seemed to be programmed into him. He could do things that only superheroes in comic books could do. That was until now, until he had become sick.

"Big brother," Sui said as he stood in Kei's bedroom. He looked around. He saw a book that was pulled out and went over to it. His hand went to a handkerchief with some blood on it and he breathed deeply. He pulled the cloth to his chest and closed his eyes painfully. Even if Kei did seem robotic at times, he was the big brother he loved and always aspired to be.

He went to sit on Kei's bed with the book and opened it. Inside were pictures which he hadn't seen very often. He had seen photographs of Hikari and Kei with Hikari dotted around the room. There were even a collection of photographs of them as a family looking very formal and positioned. This book was filled with memories Kei had had with his friends and Sui continued to look through the pages.

He stopped as he saw a picture which he didn't remember. It was Kei as a young boy holding him as a baby. Kei still looked a little stiff and uncomfortable but he had a curiosity in his eyes, a little light that said that he was happy. His brother had been pushed into things his whole life and he was used to it. Now he was experiencing something that no one had planned for.

Sui felt his body shake as he looked at the book and bowed his head. He wasn't his brother. They wanted someone to replace his brother if Kei were to die from this sickness but he wasn't Kei Takishima and Sui Takishima didn't seem to even match up. They needed Kei. They all did.

Sui looked at some of the other pictures of himself as a small boy and he felt completely taken over by the fear that one day his older brother wouldn't be there any longer and that there would be a missing place in the family pictures. Even when he was to marry, there wouldn't be the four people who needed to be there. Having Hikari in the family portraits was better than not having his brother there at all. If Kei died, would he still be his older brother even when Sui had passed his age at death.

The young boy shivered as he sat on the bed. He brought his arm to his face and started sobbing.

Hikari stepped into the room, helping Kei who was in a wheelchair into his bedroom. She looked to her boyfriend and they exchanged a concerned glance before Hikari turned towards the younger of the Takishima brothers. "Sui," she said and he jolted up, his back straightening.

"I'm not crying!" he said before taking slow breaths. He turned around to see that Kei had wheeled himself forwards and was looking at him concerned. "Big brother," Sui gasped before pulling the book to his chest as if hiding it. "I wasn't looking at anything. I wa-"

"It's okay," Kei told him before coughing. "I don't mind. Did you see anything interesting?"

"No. I wasn't snooping," Sui said quickly before handing Kei back the handkerchief and Kei stared at the blood from when his throat felt incredibly scratchy so there was blood from that. He took it and thought of how devastated his grandfather was when confronted by his grandmother's tombstone.

"I want you to have those memories too, I don't want them to turn you into me," Kei told him and Sui paused as he looked at him nervously. "This book is important because it means that you can have fun with other people and I'm not giving up that easily," he said before coughing and looking at the bed. Sui turned to him confused and then stood up, putting the book on the bookshelf.

"Can we talk after you get some rest?" he asked and Hikari saw Kei open his mouth to argue but he just nodded.

"Here, I'll help you," Hikari said trying to keep her energy high so that she could make sure that Kei's energy was as strong as possible. Sui watched his brother painfully as he saw the difficulty which he was facing. Soon after he was in the bed, Kei closed his eyes and Hikari tucked him in. She sighed as she looked at him. She didn't really know how to provide for him in a loving manner. All that she had known was how to be a friend and make challenges and that didn't seem ideal for this situation. She wasn't the most comfortable with her own feelings.

"I don't think I can do it," Sui whispered and Hikari tilted her head as she turned to him.

"Huh?" she asked and Sui looked towards her again. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" she asked and Sui nervously shifted.

"I don't want to take my brother's place. I want for him to get healthy and make a full recovery," he whispered. Sui closed his eyes and started to shake, breaking down but trying to keep his pride in not wanting for Hikari to see. He didn't want this stupid girl to see his own pain, she didn't know how to help him.

"Sui," Hikari said as he approached him. "I promise to do my best to take care of him and support him. Kei is also going to be doing his best as well."

"You didn't call him Takishima like you used to," Sui said and Hikari nodded, she turned to look at Kei. She knew that she had used that name when talking to Sui about Kei despite them being brothers. However, Kei Takishima needed her help. She needed to be as close to him as possible and that meant that she had to try to be more emotionally close as well.

"I know," Hikari nodded. "I really like calling him Takishima when I'm challenging him to competitions and when I'm being casual with him. I like doing it when we're just talking and spending time together. I think," Hikari's cheeks turned bright red, "Kei is more important when I need to express how much I care for him. I'm really scared of loving him."

"Don't be," Sui said as he turned and attempted to leave the room, taking one last look at Kei, "Big Brother loves you more than anything in the world. He loves you more than any stupid guy you see on those romance movies."

Hikari blushed again and started to follow Sui out, closing the door most of the way. She would be leaving soon but Satoru knew about Kei being home and Hikari was pretty sure they had some kind of a device where they were listening for even the slightest sound. "He cares a lot about you too and he has the energy to still care about many people. The doctor said he needs rest now but we can still be on the taking care of Takishima team," she winked and Sui bit his top lip.

"The doctors say that he'll be okay?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and Hikari moved awkwardly. That wasn't exactly what the doctors had said to her but she didn't want to disappoint the boy before her who was already acting more mature than his age. There was a lot of sadness which hopefully could be cured in this house.

"The doctors are going to do their best and I know he's fighting too so we'll fight to support him and cheer him on, okay?" Hikari asked and Sui nodded slowly. He looked towards the bedroom again.

"You'll do your best to make sure he's okay?" Sui asked and Hikari could see how scared he was.

"Absolutely," she said before giving a playful salute and wink and Sui rolled his eyes.

"You really are a dork," he said in a playful manner as he went to his own room. Hikari smiled as she saw him leave and then took a step back. Her palm rest on the door of her boyfriend's room. All she could do was hope for the best.

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


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